RML Group (Ray Mallock Ltd.) is a British total engineering solutions company based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Founded in the 1984 by Ray Mallock as a motorsport team, the group has since expanded to provide advanced engineering services to OEMs and other companies in the automotive sector, as well as those in defence, aerospace, and marine.
The company has a prestigious heritage in motorsports and high-performance vehicles, and as of 2025 saw significant investment in RML Group, including the installation of a new senior management team with CEO Paul Dickinson joining the board. Operations are spread across four divisions – Power, Engineering, Motorsport and Bespoke.
Powertrain and engineering expertise have seen RML Group work with the likes of Aston Martin, McLaren Automotive, Bentley, NIO, Lotus Cars, Nissan and MG Motor on special projects, while experience with electrification in motorsport has seen the development of the VarEVolt scalable platform allows RML Group to provide bespoke, high-performance batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.
RML supports manufacturers with factory motorsport projects and race teams across a range of formulae, including touring cars and GT racing. At a series level, the group has a contract as Official Parts Supplier to the British Touring Car Championship, providing specified NGCT-specification chassis, suspension and steering components to all teams in the competition.
The company's Bespoke division has delivered a range of projects direct to customers, initially the RML Short Wheelbase (SWB) 1960s-style grand tourer launched in 2021 and currently the Le Mans-inspired GT Hypercar.
Group divisions Power RML's Power division is responsible for design, development and manufacturing across powertrain projects, including advanced battery systems and bespoke engine builds. Facilities include R&D, laser welding and end-of-line testing capabilities, delivering projects for teams in motorsport and OEMs in the automotive sector, as well as off-highway industries.
Engineering The Engineering division within RML develops advanced engineering projects across automotive, aerospace, defence, marine and motorsport industries. The team works on systems such as chassis and vehicle dynamics development, aerodynamics, powertrain integration, and cockpit systems with past projects including vehicles such as the Nio EP9 and McLaren Senna GTR.
Motorsport RML Group was established as a motorsport team, and more than 40 years later, motor racing remains a key focus. From designing championship-winning cars to running world class racing teams, RML Group holds multiple world and national championships, and supports a variety of racing series as parts supplier and car builder.
Bespoke Bespoke is a RML's showcase division that creates vehicles.
Early history Ray Mallock began building racing cars, alongside his brother Richard, as an assistant to his father, Major Arthur Mallock, who created the Mallock U2 chassis for Clubmans racing. After racing in Formula 3, Formula Atlantic and sports car racing, Mallock founded his team, Ray Mallock Atlantic Racing, in 1979, which he renamed RML in 1984.
Sports car racing Ray Mallock, a driver for Viscount Downe Racing, helped develop the privateer Aston Martin-powered Nimrod NRA/C2 for Group C regulations in the World Endurance Championship in 1982, 1983 and 1984. In 1984, RML was contracted to build the Ecurie Ecosse prototypes for the C2 class, winning the class title in 1986.
In 1987, RML returned to the main class by developing the Aston Martin AMR-1. The project was closed in 1990, but RML found work with the works Nissan team instead. RML developed and prepared NPTI's Nissan R90CK programme for Le Mans. One of the cars manages to lead the race for five hours and set a new lap record.
In 1999, RML returned sportscars by producing the RML Mallock P20 Supersports Car, in association with Mallock Sports his brother Richard's company. The car won the National Supersports championships in 1999 and in 2000, when it was driven by Michael Mallock.
In 2000, RML created the Saleen S7 supercar initially as a road car, and then the racing version the S7-R, winning the European Le Mans Series in the GT1 class in 2001 and the Spanish GT Championship overall in 2002. In 2004 RML entered the FIA GT Championship with two cars.
Also in 2004, RML ran an MG-Lola EX257 in the Le Mans 24 Hours and Le Mans Endurance Series. After the design became obsolete with the onset of new LMP2 regulations, RML merged components from the EX257 into the Lola B05/40's chassis and bodyshell, creating the MG-Lola EX264, which won Le Mans in the LMP2 class in 2005 and 2006.
The team's car was further upgraded for the 2008 Le Mans Series season, using a new XP21 motor developed by MG, and renaming the car EX265. This car was then replaced before the season finale by a coupe bodystyle, based on the new Lola B08/80. Using components of the EX265, including the MG XP21 motor, the new car was christened the EX265C, and made its debut at the 2008 1000km of Silverstone.
In 2009, the team turned to the Mazda MZR-R turbocharged engine in the back of the Lola B08/80, abandoning the MG moniker, but issues with the spec fuel caused several engine failures over the season, the car finishing only twice over the whole season. For the 2010 season, the team is retaining the Lola B08/80 chassis, but with a normally aspirated V8 engine developed by Honda Performance Development, the same engine used in the HPD ARX-01.
RML competed in the Le Mans Series in 2011 with a HPD ARX-01d LMP2 car, becoming the second team to run the ARX-01 in Europe after Strakka Racing.
In 2012, RML developed a new engine on behalf of Nissan for the unique Nissan DeltaWing RML, as Nissans Motorsport Partner ran the car and provided engineering and technical support at Le Mans 24 hours and Petit Le Mans where it finished 5th overall.
For 2014, RML were engaged to design and build the Nissan ZEOD RC, an innovative racing car designed to run in Le Mans Garage 56. The car was the first to switch between Electric and Petrol powered Propulsion. RML were responsible for the whole vehicle, including developing a high performance lightweight powertrain. The engine was a new RML design, a 3-cylinder 1.5 litre weighing only 40 kg and producing over 400 bhp. The ZOED RC suffered a gearbox failure due to a new part with a material defect early in the 24 hour race, however in practice had achieved the first ever all electric lap of Le Mans and over 300 km/h on in Electric mode.
24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Entrant No. Car Drivers Class Laps 1982 Nimrod Racing Automobiles 31 Nimrod NRA/C2-Aston Martin Bob Evans Geoff Lees Tiff Needell Group C 55 DNF DNF Viscount Downe Racing(private entrant) 32 Ray Mallock Simon Phillips Mike Salmon 317 7th 4th 1983 Viscount Downe Racing(private entrant) Pace Petroleum 39 Nimrod NRA/C2-Aston Martin Steve Earle Ray Mallock Mike Salmon Group C 218 DNF DNF 1984 Viscount Downe Racing(private entrant) Aston Martin Lagonda 31 Nimrod NRA/C2B-Aston Martin Ray Mallock Drake Olson Group C1 94 DNF DNF 32 Richard Attwood Mike Salmon John Sheldon 92 DNF DNF Ecurie Ecosse 77 Ecosse C284-Cosworth David Duffield David Leslie Mike Wilds Group C2 36 DNF DNF 1985 Ecurie Ecosse 79 Ecosse C285-Cosworth David Leslie Ray Mallock Mike Wilds Group C2 45 DNF DNF 1986 Ecurie Ecosse 78 Ecosse C285-Cosworth Les Delano John Hotchkis Andy Petery Group C2 293 15th 4th 79 Ecosse C286-Austin Rover David Leslie Ray Mallock Mike Wilds 181 DSQ DSQ 1987 Swiftair Ecurie Ecosse 101 Ecosse C286-Cosworth Les Delano Andy Petery Mike Wilds Group C2 135 DNF DNF 102 Marc Duez David Leslie Ray Mallock 308 8th 2nd 1989 Aston Martin Ecurie Ecosse 18 Aston Martin AMR1 Costas Los Brian Redman Michael Roe Group C1 340 11th 9th 19 David Leslie Ray Mallock David Sears 153 DNF DNF 1990 Nissan Motorsports Nissan Performance Technology Inc. 83 Nissan R90CK Geoff Brabham Derek Daly Chip Robinson Group C1 251 DNF DNF 84 Bob Earl Steve Millen Michael Roe 311 17th 17th 2001 RML 62 Saleen S7-R Bruno Lambert Ian McKellar Johnny Mowlem LMGTS 175 DNF DNF 2002 RML 68 Saleen S7-R Pedro Chaves Gavin Pickering Miguel Ramos LMGTS 312 23rd 5th 2003 Graham Nash Motorsport Ray Mallock Ltd. 64 Saleen S7-R Pedro Chaves Thomas Erdos Mike Newton LMGTS 292 NC NC 2004 Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) 25 MG-Lola EX257-AER Thomas Erdos Nathan Kinch Mike Newton LMP1 256 DNF DNF 2005 Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) 25 MG-Lola EX264-Judd Thomas Erdos Warren Hughes Mike Newton LMP2 305 20th 1st 2006 Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) 25 MG-Lola EX264-AER Thomas Erdos Mike Newton Andy Wallace LMP2 343 8th 1st 2007 Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) 25 MG-Lola EX264-AER Thomas Erdos Mike Newton Andy Wallace LMP2 251 DNF DNF 2008 Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) 25 MG-Lola EX265-AER Thomas Erdos Mike Newton Andy Wallace LMP2 100 DNF DNF 2009 RML 25 Lola B08/86-Mazda Chris Dyson Thomas Erdos Mike Newton LMP2 273 DNF DNF 2010 RML 25 Lola B08/80-HPD Thomas Erdos Mike Newton Andy Wallace LMP2 358 8th 3rd 2011 RML 36 HPD ARX-01d Ben Collins Thomas Erdos Mike Newton LMP2 314 12th 4th 2012 Highcroft Racing 0 DeltaWing-Nissan Marino Franchitti Michael Krumm Satoshi Motoyama CDNT 75 DNF DNF 2014 Nissan Motorsports Global 0 Nissan ZEOD RC Satoshi Motoyama Lucas Ordóñez Wolfgang Reip CDNT 5 DNF DNF
Touring car racing
British Touring Car Championship
Vauxhall (1992–1996) Taking advantage of its relationship to Ecurie Ecosse, RML made its debut in touring car racing in 1992, by moving to the British Touring Car Championship. The team ran two semi-works Vauxhall Cavaliers for Ecurie Ecosse for two years.
RML built its first ground up Super touring car the Vauxhall Cavalier RML P7 in 1993, it took RML's maiden BTCC victory with David Leslie at the wheel at Thruxton.
Due to the team's success, RML was awarded with the works Vauxhall contract in 1994 taking over from Dave Cook Racing, winning the championship the following year. The RML Vauxhall Cavalier RML P11 won the 1995 in both the teams and Drivers standings. Vauxhall launched the new Vectra RML P12 for 1996. The season was a transitional year with the team scoring just one victory with James Thompson.
Nissan (1997–1999) RML's association with Nissan in touring car racing began with the design of South African Touring car championship Sentra RML P8 in 1993. It grew in 1997 moving on from Vauxhall to become the works partner for Nissan in Super Touring, being responsible for the build, development and operation of the BTCC cars as well as the build of the cars for the German and Japanese series.
The team won the BTCC manufacturers' and teams' titles in 1998 & 1999 with RML project numbers P17 & P18 respectively and the drivers' championship in 1999 with Laurent Aïello.
SEAT (2004)
In 2004, RML contracted with SEAT Sport UK to run two SEAT Toledo Cupras in the BTCC with drivers Jason Plato and Rob Huff, at the end of the year RML moved into the WTCC with Chevrolet.
Chevrolet (2009–2011) RML re-entered the BTCC in 2009, running their ex-WTCC Chevrolet Lacettis for 2001 champion Jason Plato, Mat Jackson since round two and James Nash since round four. The 2009 campaign brought good results, taking 11 wins and Plato taking second in the drivers championship. In 2010, Chevrolet gave the team full works backing with a pair of Cruzes driven by the returning Plato and series debutant Alex MacDowall. Plato won the drivers championship in 2010 with 7 race wins, before winning eight races in 2011 but finishing third in the championship as the Honda pair of champion Matt Neal and runner-up Gordon Shedden had better consistency over the course of the season. On 1 February 2012, Chevrolet announced that they will be pulling out of the BTCC to focus on the WTCC, therefore RML will not be taking part in the 2012 BTCC season.
Mercedes/Plato Racing (2026)